Wakaba Isshiki
Profile Wakaba Isshiki was Futaba Sakura's mother and a prominent cognitive researcher focusing on a supernatural phenomenon about the cognitive world within the human's mind which she titled "Cognitive psience" (認知訶学). Wakaba was very brilliant and talented in this field of study. While a competent parent, she sometimes found it difficult to juggle her job and her daughter. Wakaba and Futaba had a loving relationship, and even though she occasionally had to scold her daughter like any parent, she always wanted the best for her. Via Futaba's reminiscence, Wakaba was very fond of a government official, Sojiro Sakura, who bridged between the government and her research facility. The signature curry and coffee recipes of Cafe Leblanc was originally invented by Sojiro but refined by Wakaba. She knew Sojiro long before Futaba was born, and always spoke highly of him; it is unclear whether she truly did not reciprocate his feelings or was too wrapped up in her work and her daughter for a relationship. Two years prior to the game, on August 21, Wakaba supposedly killed herself by throwing herself into traffic in a fit of maternal psychosis; in reality, she suffered a mental shutdown caused by Goro Akechi. Out of spite and to seize her research data secretly, his employers forged a suicide note and announced it aloud before Futaba and her relatives, in which Wakaba claimed she regretted giving birth to Futaba and as a result, she had destroyed all of her research. This revelation devastated Futaba and caused her to develop paranoid delusions and hallucinations of Wakaba's face overlaid on other people, constantly telling her how disappointed she was, which eventually drove her to become a shut-in with suicidal impulses, psychological guilt, and trauma. After Sojiro discovered how badly she was being treated by her relatives as a result of the suicide note and their jealousy over Wakaba's success, in particular Wakaba's brother Youji, Futaba was finally adopted by Sojiro Sakura, taking his surname.Later when Futaba enters her own Palace, her Shadow reveals to her that Wakaba's suicide note is a fake, resulting in Futaba's awakening to her Persona ability. Futaba helps the Phantom Thieves of Hearts defeat the false perception of her mother which takes the form of a gigantic and spiteful Sphinx, keeping with the Egyptian theme of Futaba's Palace. Cognitive Wakaba Isshiki is formed from Futaba's false belief that her mother resented her for being an obstacle to her career, and is known as the beast that rules the Palace. While Cognitive Wakaba proved too mobile with her capacity for flight in her demon form at first, Futaba realizes that the Palace was formed from her desires and focuses on her desire to save the people who helped give her a reason to live again, summoning a massive ballista that cripples the Sphinx and leaves her an easy target for the Phantom Thieves. After the battle, the image of a benevolent Wakaba appears before Futaba and confesses her love for her daughter then disappears. Whether or not this is truly Wakaba's spirit, or merely another changed cognition is left ambiguous. Wakaba's death, false testament and the stealing of her research are revealed to have been ordered by Masayoshi Shido. Trivia * Wakaba gave birth to Futaba Sakura at 22-years old, and died at age 35 due to saving Futaba’s life from potentially killing her Gallery File:044AEF4D-96B9-4A65-AB3C-4A22D564F8D5.png|Futaba’s mureal pulling on Isshiki’s Shirt File:4F2802D7-2411-4B9D-B511-D8240CF2633A.png|Wakaba’s death cause by a purpose car accident File:E1598147-54C6-4133-B40D-185524FCC9A3.jpeg|Wakaba haunting Futaba Sakura Category:Cameo Characters